Treachery or Something Like It
by Verenda
Summary: A lonely assassin for a clever being is sent out on a job. But can she achieve assassination if she falls in love?
1. Default Chapter

Treachery  
  
By: Princess Ayeka & Cindi McElreath  
  
Rating: PG-13 for language and mild violence  
  
Summary: Forced into a life of misery when she and her father become two of the only humans left alive, Bulma Briefs discovers the act of assassination. Her father on the other hand, wants revenge from Frieza, he who destroyed Planet Earth. Soon, she becomes one of Frieza's most prized assassins and is put to the test.  
  
Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own it. Do you think anyone who did would write fan fiction? Okay, maybe to gloat. But I don't own anything. And I don't gloat. 


	2. Chapter One

Treachery  
  
By: Princess Ayeka & Cindi McElreath  
  
Chapter One:  
  
"See you in hell." Her voice was ice cold as she fired the gun.  
  
Silence.  
  
Her boots made small sounds as she stepped through the man's already pooling blood.  
  
'Gross,' she thought as she reached in the man's lab coat pocket. Out of the pocket, she pulled a tiny capsule between her fingers. Stuffing it in the breast pocket of her black vest, she began walking toward the exit. Her blue eyes scanned the area for any evidence that might trace her to the crime. Finding none, she proceeded in walking out of the room and into the corridor.  
  
"Leather Viper, you there?"  
  
She immediately noticed the male voice coming from the earpiece she was wearing. She continued to walk as she responded, "Yeah."  
  
"You get it?"  
  
"Do you doubt otherwise?" she shot back. She could almost feel the other person roll his eyes. "Yes. I did get it, but I'm not saying there weren't any casualties." Her eyes traveled to the dead guard lying on the floor.  
  
"You coming back here?"  
  
"It'd be a little to suspicious; I'll return to Planet Frost; it's only about an hour's trip from my current position. So, see you in a week." She turned off the communicator and headed out the building to her tiny one-man ship.  
  
When she got in the ship, she set it to Auto Pilot to give herself some time to think.  
  
In the year 734 A.D., her father began working on a project, simply named "Project X," to help get back at Frieza and his empire. Fortunately, Frieza never found out, but an underground agency called the IIA did. They hired the best agent they knew to carry out their plans of eliminating the man. The IIA found his daughter.  
  
From a still unknown source, her father found out and threatened the exact purpose he was creating the project for. His daughter. The only person who knew nothing was the girl herself, Bulma Briefs.  
  
By this time, 736 A.D., Bulma had begun assassinating various politicians and diplomats at the request of her keeper, Frieza. The leader of the IIA was lax and had still not contacted the girl. Late in the year though, another member did, and the chase began.  
  
Bulma's father moved quickly from planet to planet taking all information with him. Today however, Bulma decided to take things into her own hands and found the man.  
  
The ship soon made a small sound, signaling the arrival to Planet Frost.  
  
******  
  
The docking bay smelled strongly of raw blood and burning flesh. She smirked at the sight of a badly mangled body.  
  
'Somebody pissed Frieza off,' she thought as she left the docking bay and headed for her living quarters.  
  
"Where are you going?" a voice from behind asked. She stopped dead in her tracks when she heard the voice of Zarbon.  
  
Producing a forced smile, Bulma turned around on her heel to face the green haired warrior. "Good evening, Zarbon. Just heading to my quarters."  
  
Zarbon stepped closer and reached to finger her blue hair. "Lord Frieza wishes to see you immediately," he said with a smile.  
  
"Hm." She quickly turned around without saying anything else. But Zarbon's grip on her braided hair tightened.  
  
"If you don't, Frieza will find you personally." Zarbon let go of her hair and Bulma walked away with a glare on her face.  
  
*****  
  
Short. I know. But don't hold that against me please. Just tell me anything that may help me (except that it's short) and I shall fix it. Chapters will get longer. Promise  
  
Please REVIEW!! 


	3. Chapter Two

Treachery  
  
Chapter Two:  
  
Crimson liquid sloshed slightly in its wine glass. A smirk graced Frieza's face. The time was drawing nearer.  
  
With nothing short of elegance, Bulma burst through the door to Frieza's throne room. Halfway between the entrance to the room and Frieza himself, Bulma crouched down on one knee and bowed her head.  
  
"You called for me, Lord Frieza?" she asked as she raised her head slightly.  
  
"Yes," he said shortly coming closer to her. "I have a mission for you."  
  
"Oh?" Her eyebrows rose with delight. The chance to kill another in such a short amount of time between killings was rare.  
  
"Have you heard of the planet Vegeta-sei?"  
  
"You wish for me to go there? The place where no other assassin has ever prevailed?" she asked wide-eyed.  
  
"Of course," he smirked, "You are the best assassin I've ever had to follow me." Frieza's eyes suddenly changed to a deep and angry scowl. "I want you to assassinate their king."  
  
"Lord Frieza, I don't think-"  
  
"No. You think too much. I expect you to depart to Vegeta-sei tomorrow."  
  
Bulma bowed her head one more time before standing. "Tomorrow." With that, she left the cold dark room and the being inside it.  
  
xxxxxx  
  
"You knew this would happen, you bastard!" One hand was clasp around the man's throat, the other held her gun to his head.  
  
Zarbon just grinned. "What does it matter whether I knew or not? You are the proclaimed 'best assassin ever.' I had nothing to do with this."  
  
"You could have told me that I was going to Vegeta-sei!" Her voice was extremely loud and the entire bar became hushed. Immediately, she let go and kept the glare on her face. "I'm sure you didn't," she said silently, her voice dripping with anger and sarcasm. It lingered even after she stormed out of the room.  
  
xxxxxx  
  
When she returned to her living quarters, still angry and half tired, she fell to the bed and kicked off her boots. Feeling something hard in her pocket, she pulled it out and stared. She'd nearly forgotten about the tiny capsule she had put there. Feeling too tired to even worry about what was inside, she placed it on her night stand and fell asleep.  
  
xxxxxx  
  
"Viper . . . Viper, you there?"  
  
The voice buzzed in her head somewhat loudly, forcing a loud moan from her throat. She soon realized who the voice belonged to and tapped her earpiece.  
  
"I'm here. What the hell do you want so early anyway?" she asked angrily.  
  
"Early? It's 10:36."  
  
"Sorry. I had a long night."  
  
"Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
She sighed heavily. "There's no possible way I could get the information to the IIA in time. I've been told that I must go to Vegeta-sei in about two hours."  
  
The voice on the other end was silent for some time. "We have an agent there already. You could meet with her and give her the info."  
  
Bulma's eyebrows drew into a tight scowl. "This was my mission," she said, trying not to sound too angry. "If something happens to this," she fingered the white capsule, "I will be responsible."  
  
"Alright. When do you think you'll leave Vegeta-sei?" The male voice on the other end seemed to always give in too easily.  
  
"One month. Tops."  
  
"Good. Don't lose that information."  
  
"And you wanted me to give it to someone else? Man, you sure like to change your mind a lot," she scoffed.  
  
"That means don't lose your life either," the voice sad seriously.  
  
Standing up, Bulma turned off the device and pulled it out of her ear. Checking her watch, she began walking toward the door of her quarters to leave. She had approximately an hour and a half until she needed to leave. Just enough time for target practice.  
  
When she opened the door, a tiny envelope lay flat at her feet. Scowling at it first and then having her curiosity win her over, she picked it up and, with tiny delicate fingers, opened her envelope. She pulled out one tiny slip of paper about the size of a playing card. It read:  
  
'Forget the king. Kill the prince.'  
  
"What the-" she said out loud in rage. "If you want me to kill the king, than I kill the king! Don't change your mind at the last minute!" She growled as she stepped in the corridor, headed for Frieza's throne room there wouldn't be any target practice this morning.  
  
"Why are you always in such a hurry?" Zarbon's voice rang out from behind. His warm hand grasped her forearm.  
  
Slowly, still with a glare on her face, Bulma turned around. "Why are you always following me?" she said angrily. Now was not the time to talk to an assassin with at least five weapons on her.  
  
"Bulma," Zarbon began sympathetically, "if you're looking for Frieza, he's not here. He left earlier this morning."  
  
Bulma sighed trying to vent her anger without violent actions. "Alright," she said with a twinge of anger still in her voice, "I guess I should leave for Vegeta-sei." She pulled her arm away from him and quickly drew her dagger. "Don't ever touch me again." With that, she slowly walked away toward the docking bay she had left only thirteen hours before.  
  
xxxxxx  
  
'Two months in cryogenic stasis,' she thought as she read over a document handed to her. 'I hate space pods.' Making sure she still had the capsule she had gotten the previous day, Bulma stepped gingerly in the tiny round pod.  
  
Soon after blasting off into space, a tiny needle filled with lithium pricked her forearm. Her eyes fell, tired and heavy, and she went into a deep sleep. The first stage of cryogenisis had begun.  
  
xxxxxx  
  
*Yeah! Chapter 2 and a half is done. Actually, chapter two wasn't very long, so I combined two and three to get 2 and a half. But the next chapter will be called three. Worry not.  
  
Anyway, thanks for the reviews and you know, you should do it again sometime. I think reviews are the next best thing to money for me. Motivation. If you pay me, I think I'll do things faster though. Oh well, scratch that. DON'T pay me. I don't need it. But please review. Those are good!* 


	4. Chapter Three

Treachery  
  
Chapter Three:  
  
*Two Months Later  
  
Bulma's eyes shot open at the sound of a beep from the control panel of her space pod. She was very close to her destination. From her tiny window, she saw the large orange planet, much like Mars from her own solar system. A deep longing for her own home brought on a strange feeling of nostalgia.  
  
"Curse you father," she said with a soft trembling voice, "for taking me from my home."  
  
The space pod slowed as it reached the edge of Vegeta-sei's atmosphere. Bulma braced herself for a rough landing, only to find that she didn't land very hard at all. Vegeta-sei contained the same sponge-like material used on Planet Frost. (For anyone who doesn't know, this "sponge-like" stuff is shown in both the Bardock Special and the post-Saiyan saga when Vegeta lands on Planet Frost. I'm really not sure if it is sponge-like or not though.)  
  
After the landing, the door to the pod opened with a 'swish' sound and allowed her to exit. Surprisingly, there was no one around to notice her. But unfortunately, she didn't know where to go or where she was. And two months without real food was too long.  
  
She looked around only to find a few large buildings in front of her, and a large forest behind. Choosing the option not to be found yet, she headed for the forest.  
  
As she walked, she noticed trees familiar to those on other planets she had been to. Shrubs and mosses where also the same. But amazingly, there were no leaves or debris on the beaten path she had chosen to take. Someone kept good care of the environment.  
  
Suddenly, a noise from ahead caught the attention of her sensitive ears. Her eyes became narrow concentrated slits and she slowly began walking forward. As she got closer, she withdrew one of her daggers, ready to strike at any moment.  
  
As she drew nearer to the noise of swift movements, Bulma noticed the trees thinning and the area becoming broader.  
  
When she saw someone, she immediately fled behind a tree and peered on in awe. She watched the figure punch and kick the air with a great amount of finesse and an equal amount of intensity. While staring, Bulma sheathed her dagger. But soon after, faster than she could see, the person disappeared.  
  
Her breath caught in her throat when she felt a presence beside her. Bulma didn't have to turn to know that it was the same person she had been watching, but she turned anyway. It was a man, oddly pale, with black eyes to matched his hair that spiked in different directions. Those coal black eyes glared down at her wide blue orbs and he crossed his muscular arms. Bulma succumbed to something like fear when he began to speak.  
  
"Who are you and what are you doing in the palace gardens?" he asked harshly.  
  
'Palace gardens? Halfway there, Bulma.' Luckily, she had the voice to answer him, not changing her tone from her sadistic thoughts. "My name is Aria," she lied boldly. "I have all the right as you do to be in the palace gardens."  
  
The man continued to glare at her and became somewhat angrier. "Who the hell do you think you are, intruder!? Only guards and royals should be here! If you are some sort of slave, I suggest you get back to work!"  
  
"Ha! A slave for an inhabitant of this planet?" she scoffed. "I would never dream of it." She unsheathed her dagger again and held it at her side.  
  
The man before her became angry enough to pin her to the tree by her throat and she found herself only smirking at him. "How bold you are. To bad it won't save you." In the man's other hand, he held a bright ball of energy, aimed at her head.  
  
"That's funny. 'Cause if I do end up dead here, I'm sure Frieza won't hesitate to find my killer." Her eyes held a playful gleam and she knew she'd won when the man's hand let go of her throat and she fell to the forest floor.  
  
"You work for Frieza?" he asked quietly, he no longer wished to fight her.  
  
"You could say so." She also dropped her tone of voice and continued. "I don't want to. I never did. But if I don't complete my mission, my life will end anyway. I can't let that happen. I've got other things to live for."  
  
"What is your mission?" he asked.  
  
"I cannot tell you. You are an inhabitant of this planet and if you were to know what my mission is, you would probably do everything in your power to stop me." She stared at the ground, awaiting a response.  
  
The man was silent for a long time before he spoke again. "My name is Kakarot," he said softly. "I'm the most loyal guard on Vegeta-sei, but if your mission pushes me to do so, I will stop you."  
  
"Well then, Kakarot, that makes two of us."  
  
"I should probably make your presence known to the king. Follow me." Kakarot began walking forward, in the opposite direction of the city. When Bulma didn't follow, he tried to reassure her that nothing bad would happen. "Trust me," he said, "you're secret's safe with me." Bulma smiled a genuine smile, and then started to follow him.  
  
**Yeah! Another chapter typed and finished. Chapter four won't take that long. I should (notice the word should) have it finished within two to four days. Please, if any of you are interested in helping me, e-mail me with an idea for this fic. I will notice you as a co-author, seeing as how my true co-author knows nothing about DBZ and is only doing this to get a grade in Honors Lit. (I guess I didn't mention that this is a short story for my lit. class, did I?)  
  
Anyway, please review! 


	5. Chapter Four

Treachery  
  
Chapter Four  
  
'So this is the palace,' she thought as the pair walked down one large corridor. It resembled, almost exactly, Frieza's own "castle," with the exception of color. Tapestries of deep blood red, black, and gold hung on the otherwise boring, colorless walls.  
  
Kakarot walked ahead of her, while she stayed behind and looked at the various paintings and things on the walls. Kakarot didn't realize that he had left her behind and continued walking until he reached a great door, guarded by two burly men.  
  
"Will you allow me and this alien entrance?" he asked one of the men.  
  
"What alien do you speak of?" the guard asked with a quizzical look on his face.  
  
"What do you mean? The one right. ." Kakarot trailed off as he turned around to see an empty hall behind him. "Aria!" he exclaimed as he began running down the corridor, looking for the lost woman.  
  
xxxxxx  
  
Bulma began to walk down the dimly lit hall, now by herself. She passed by various doors, curious as to what lay behind them and where the prince might have been. Curiosity didn't win her over this time though, and she continued walking straight ahead.  
  
She ran her fingers on the wall as she walked, occasionally stopping and staring. At the sound of voices, Bulma had become curious and quickened her pace. At the end of the hall, an open doorway made way for a lighted room. That was where the voices were coming from.  
  
"I come back from a months worth of playing hit-man for Frieza to come back to this?" one male voice almost yelled.  
  
"Vegeta, you can't rule an empire without an heir! It's a new revolution; alliance is a good thing in times before war."  
  
"Father, we're not at war yet! And it's probably because you don't want to!"  
  
"It matters not if we are at war!" There was a long pause. "Get ready," the same voice said, "She'll be here in four hours."  
  
Bulma realized that that must have been the end of the conversation, but she didn't realize anyone was coming out of the room. She turned around and began walking away.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" a voice from behind asked after a muscled arm wrapped around her neck.  
  
Bulma reached for a dagger but was stopped when she recognized someone at the end of the hall.  
  
"Aria!" Kakarot exclaimed from the end of the hall. He quickly made his way to where she was and spoke again. "My Prince, please, let her go, I --"  
  
He was cut off by the other man. "Who is she, first?" he asked. The grip on Bulma's neck grew tighter.  
  
"Her name is Aria. She came here by mistake. I was just about to inform your father of her."  
  
The prince let her go. "My father's being an ass right now. But if you want to go talk to him, go right ahead. I'm not stopping you." With that, he walked past them and down the hall.  
  
"Kakarot?" Bulma said to get his attention. "Who was that?" she asked.  
  
"Prince Vegeta," he answered. "He's a real hard-ass if you know what I mean. It's like I told you before." Kakarot turned around, his back to Bulma. "Come on. Your presence can't be unknown forever."  
  
The pair made their way to the lighted room and there, they found who they had been looking for.  
  
"My lord," Kakarot said while kneeling, "I have come to inform you of --"  
  
The king scowled. "Third-class, why is it that you don't just immediately tell anybody anything?! What the hell do you want?"  
  
Kakarot, surprise written all over his face, stood up. "Well, sire, I found this alien wandering around the palace gardens." He motioned for Bulma to step forward.  
  
She stepped forward, her arms crossed over he chest and a bored expression across her face. The kind stared at her suspiciously. Her blue hair was braided down her back and it matched her blue eyes perfectly. His vision immediately focused on the gun she carried.  
  
"You're carrying a weapon," the king said.  
  
Bulma smirked. "That I am."  
  
"You can't be some kind of civilian. Who the hell are you?"  
  
"My name is Aria. And no, I'm not any mere civilian. I've escaped Frieza's planet and have taken valuable skills and information with me."  
  
"Skills?"  
  
"I'm trained in the art of assassination." To everyone's surprise, Bulma wrapped one of her arms around Kakarot's neck and withdrew a dagger, pressing it to his throat. Kakarot began to get nervous when she didn't move the knife.  
  
But suddenly, she dropped the dagger and moved to the side. "Other than that, I am a full-fledged diplomat." She smiled sweetly.  
  
The king seemed skeptical. "How do I know you're not still working for Frieza?"  
  
"Must you even ask?" she said in fury. "The Saiya-jin race, of all peoples, should know that if ever you get the chance to leave his empire, you should! That is why I am here. This has been my only chance to leave."  
  
The monarch sighed. "Kakarot, show her to a guest room. She may just end up useful."  
  
Kakarot bowed, grabbed Bulma by the arm, and quickly left the room.  
  
xxxxxx  
  
**So, I didn't get it out as quickly as I would've liked, but here it finally is. Please review!!** 


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five:  
  
Bulma sighed falling down onto "her" bed. She had nothing to do and now all the time in the world to do it. She could gather more information on the Saiya-jin Prince, but one of the first rules of assassination was to never gather too much at a time. People become suspicious. Then again, she had learned next to nothing about the ruling family here.  
  
All things considered, she found herself wandering out the door and into the large hallway. She gasped when she almost ran into someone else walking down the corridor. She immediately recognized the figure ass Prince Vegeta, who crossed his arms across his chest and glared.  
  
"You should watch where you're going," the monarch warned.  
  
Bulma mimicked the prince's pose, even his tone of voice. "Maybe it's you who should watch where they are going."  
  
Vegeta smirked and stepped closer. "Just watch your back," he whispered into her ear. With that, he continued to walk down the hall, his red cape billowing behind him.  
  
'Well that was weird,' she thought, stunned. She instantly shook her head and walked down the hall in the other direction.  
  
xxxxxx  
  
"Barbarians! Pure, crude barbarians, father!" a young woman said in disgust. The woman closed her eyes and sighed. "I could have married that wonderful Prince of Xanth. Or even the King of Terrestria. But no, I must marry the 'oh-so-great' Prince of Vegeta-sei," she mused sarcastically.  
  
Her father put a hand on her shoulder. "We're only meeting the prince today. He has been away on missions from Frieza."  
  
The woman scowled. "I don't care how beneficial it will be for our two planets. I'm not marrying a barbarian!"  
  
Her father scowled this time. "The prince and his father will be here any minute. Watch your tongue."  
  
'This place is so drab, too,' the young woman thought.  
  
As if on cue, the door to the Saiya-jin throne room opened and revealed an emotionless-looking father and son pair.  
  
"Good afternoon, King Xerces," the Saiya-jin King said, "It's wonderful that you could come."  
  
"Thank you for allowing me to come." Xerces smiled shortly before moving his daughter before him. "This is my daughter Kayte."  
  
The princess curtsied and put on a fake smile.  
  
"We have pressing business to discuss, so we'll just leave you two to get better acquainted."  
  
The two kings left the room and the younger monarchs to themselves.  
  
Kayte suddenly got a disgusted look on her face and looked at her pink- lacquered fingernails. "Asshole," she said under her breath. Vegeta on the other hand only moved to a large window and stared out it.  
  
"Am I the only one who thinks this is stupid?!" the princess said angrily.  
  
"Spoiled little bitch," Vegeta said under his own breath. He smirked when he turned around to find her glaring.  
  
"I hate you."  
  
"Good. The feeling's mutual."  
  
"That's funny."  
  
"What?"  
  
"What do they want us to do? Have sex or something?"  
  
"I hope not. You're really repulsive."  
  
Kayte glared again. "You are an asshole! An ill-mannered, selfless bastard!" she screamed. She crossed her arms and tried to stare down the prince. It was too bad he merely shook his head and walked out of the room, forcing an aggravated scream from the other monarch.  
  
When life gives you lemons, make sweet lemonade. 


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six:  
  
Vegeta walked out of the meeting room still shaking his head in amusement. He didn't even notice the woman he almost ran into.  
  
"Yipes!" Bulma screamed when she was almost knocked down. She immediately glared at the prince. "I told you to watch where you were going!" she said, not controlling her anger and withdrawing a dagger.  
  
Vegeta then glared himself and grabbed the dagger from her. "Little girls shouldn't play with knives," he said teasingly. When Bulma only glared, Vegeta dropped the dagger and walked off. "What is it with women today?" he mumbled as he left.  
  
"Jackass," Bulma said almost too loudly. She picked her weapon up off the tile floor when her stomach growled. She'd forgotten how hungry she was. She knit her eyebrows downward in concentration. She could only ask one person who she really knew where to get food. And she could only ask one person where to find that person.  
  
"Hey, Vegeta! Wait up!" she called.  
  
Vegeta, who was not very far away, turned around, confused at the use of his first name. The woman was soon right behind him, with a whole new change of attitude.  
  
"Do you know where Kakarot is?" she asked sweetly.  
  
"What a change of personality. This is the same woman who was just thirty seconds ago going to kill me with a knife?" Vegeta was surprised.  
  
Bulma scowled. "Look, I'm hungry and I want to know where Kakarot is!" she yelled.  
  
Vegeta rolled his eyes. "If you're so hungry, go find food yourself. Just go down the hall. It's the last room to the right. Now go away." He soon walked off again only to be stopped when Bulma grabbed his forearm.  
  
"Where can I find Kakarot, if ever I need him again?"  
  
"Training. Now let me go so I can do so myself." Bulma let Vegeta go that time. She was really hungry.  
  
xxxxxx  
  
'The dining hall is huge!' Bulma thought as she walked in. One could easily get lost in it. It too though, was not much different than Frieza's. She wondered who had the first.  
  
She soon found that she was not alone though. A figure at the table didn't even look at her when she sat one chair away from him.  
  
"You look familiar," she said to the man.  
  
"And you still have that curious look in your eyes," the man answered.  
  
"What do you mean?" Bulma asked, confused.  
  
The man smiled. "Bulma, don't you remember who I am?" When the man looked up, she immediately knew who he was.  
  
"Sensei!" Bulma said with surprise. She smiled at him.  
  
"Come on, Bulma. You're just as much of an assassin as I am. We can call each other by first names. I'm no longer your teacher. Now I'm just Zane."  
  
Bulma smiled. "Well, while we're here, I'm not Bulma. My name is Aria."  
  
"You are an assassin." Zane said with a reminiscent look on his face. "So how are you doing?"  
  
"If you mean with life, it's hell. If you mean with work, it's fine. So, what about you? Why are you here?"  
  
"Aria, you ask far too many questions. I'm just here investigating for the IIA. But don't tell the Saiya-jin King that."  
  
"More like don't tell Prince Vegeta. If anything, he'll be the one on your ass."  
  
Zane smiled at the younger woman. "You sure have grown up from the innocent little eight-year-old I once knew. Anything else you want to tell me."  
  
"Well, I too am working for the Interplanetary Intelligence Agency. As a matter of fact--" She was cut off by her teacher.  
  
"Did they ever get you to catch your father?"  
  
"I was getting to that. And yes, I did catch my father. On my own time, with my own equipment. Any information that the IIA gave me was out of date. So I had to do it myself. When I'm done with the mission I have here, I need to go to HQ and give them what they wanted from my father."  
  
"That being what?"  
  
"Project 'X'," she answered.  
  
"Oh, the wonderful Project 'X' that no one was supposed to even know of until it destroyed whom it was for. Aria, whatever you do, don't trust anyone with that. Not even the IIA. You shouldn't trust everything they say is right. Don't let them dictate what you give them and what you don't." Zane leaned back in his chair. "Hell, I don't even think you should trust me."  
  
"But, Zane, are you trying to tell me that you would. . ."  
  
"Not right now I'm not. But if I were in a chance where information depended on my life, it's every man, woman, and child for themselves. If what rumors are true about what they say about that project your father was working on, don't let anyone else know of it. Find out for yourself what it is. Your life may become more hell, Bulma."  
  
Bulma sighed. "Zane, I'll do it. And I won't give it to them." She got up from the table and walked out, not even realizing she hadn't gotten anything to eat. Project 'X' was top priority for now. Besides, a person could survive three weeks without food.  
  
xxxxxx  
  
"Kakarot, I swear you're holding back," Vegeta said as he punched the other man's face again.  
  
Kakarot stopped to catch his breath. "No, sire, I am not," he lied.  
  
Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Yes, you are," he said, seeing through the fallacy. "We shall pick this up later. My father wishes to see me." Vegeta eyed the other man that stood at the door with disgust. His father wanted to seriously talk to him.  
  
The father and son pair was soon walking down the hall together, each scowling at the floor.  
  
"So, what is it?" the younger monarch asked.  
  
"Xerces was very generous."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"You will marry his daughter in two weeks."  
  
"What?!" Vegeta screamed in rage. "Neither I nor his own daughter wants this! You cannot push me into something like this so drastically!"  
  
"Then find your own bride!" the king yelled back with as much intensity. "You have one week." The king then left Vegeta to his own thoughts.  
  
'How the hell am I supposed to find a bride in a week? Every woman on this planet is hideous to an extreme. Unless . . .' Vegeta quickly ran back to the training area to find his guardsman.  
  
"Kakarot, I need to ask you something." The other male looked up and waited for his prince's reply. "Where might I find Aria's living quarters?"  
  
"The East Wing. Why, Vegeta?"  
  
Vegeta only stormed out, looking for Aria. 


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven:  
  
"Here goes nothing," Bulma said when she reached her room and pulled the capsule from her pocket. She pressed the tiny button on the top and from inside the capsule, approximately ten blueprints landed on a desk that also came from the capsule. She stared at them, surprise written all over her face while she flipped through them. Between the final two pages, Bulma found a hand-written piece of paper, a letter, addressed to her.  
  
Dear Bulma,  
  
Good girl, you've found this work. I can't believe they have taken my  
only love from me and used you against me. This is the only way I  
could have stopped you.  
I guess it didn't work though, did it? You're still coming after me,  
even though I've turned my work into a nightmare even for myself.  
  
I hope this is the first thing you're reading. The blueprints with  
this letter will make no sense otherwise. I used a special coding to  
keep my blueprints from not being read, even if they were taken from  
me. The key to this is on the back of this letter, don't worry. I'm  
not as absentminded as you thought I was. You remember when you were a  
little girl.  
  
Maybe when you were eight, I shouldn't have let them teach you the art  
of defense. I didn't know that they would turn you into an assassin. I  
didn't want that for you. I just wanted you to be able to protect  
yourself, even when I wasn't alive. I don't think I'm going to live  
much longer after this planet. You are hot on my trail.  
  
Please, my baby, don't let anyone know of this project. It will get  
you your freedom, your life back possibly. I love you, forever and  
always.  
  
With much love,  
  
Your father.  
  
Bulma found herself in tears when she finished reading the letter. She killed her own father, who never really wanted to harm her. "Damn those bastards!" she screamed. The IIA had told her that her father would surely turn his project against her. But according to her father, he never wanted to hurt her. They weren't getting their hands on this information now.  
  
Bulma turned the letter over and looked at the code on the back. Sure enough, it matched the blueprint's code and she was soon trying to find out what the blueprint said. She was interrupted by a knock at her door.  
  
Bulma opened the door to find Vegeta standing there, his arms crossed across his chest.  
  
"Aria, I need to talk to you."  
  
Bulma blinked, finding it very hard to believe that the Prince of Saiya- jins wanted to talk to her. "Okay, sure, come in. I guess."  
  
Vegeta did as he was told and then sat in a chair not too far from the desk. Bulma, sat on her bed. "You're carrying seven weapons on you. What are you doing here?" Vegeta asked, immediately getting to the point.  
  
Bulma sighed. "I guess you're the only one who doesn't know. I am an assassin, sent from Planet Frost. I think I need to tell the truth to someone."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I told both Kakarot as well as your father that I escaped from Frieza's planet and I'm hiding out. But that's not true. Vegeta, I've come by request of Frieza to rid the universe of you."  
  
Vegeta only stared at her. He was apparently deep in thought. So, Bulma spoke again.  
  
"I don't want to complete my mission anymore."  
  
Vegeta looked confused. "Why not?"  
  
"Because I don't want to be an assassin anymore."  
  
"You can't just not want to assassinate people anymore! That's why I came to talk to you!"  
  
This time Bulma became confused. "What?"  
  
"I guess we both needed to do some explaining. Earlier this afternoon I met one of the worst people in the universe. Her name is Kayte and I'm supposed to marry her in two weeks."  
  
"So? Why don't you?"  
  
"I don't want to. So I want you to kill her."  
  
"I can't just kill anyone. It would become an interplanetary incident. I don't need anymore governments on my ass." Bulma paused. "Why don't you marry someone else?"  
  
"My father said that I would have one week to find another bride. Where the hell am I going to find someone else in a week?"  
  
"I'll do it." Bulma said quickly.  
  
Vegeta's eyes became as big as saucers. "What?!"  
  
"I'll pretend to be your bride. We can call off the marriage as soon as I find out enough about this 'Kayte.' Then I can kill her without worry. And you can live as a bachelor. How's that?"  
  
"You are an assassin. Good plan. I'll think about it." Vegeta got up and headed for the door. "By the way, do you need more blueprint paper?"  
  
Bulma blushed as her mouth dropped. "Sure."  
  
Vegeta walked out of the room with a smirk on his face.  
  
When life gives you lemons, make sweet lemonade. 


	9. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight:  
  
"Now who's holding back, my prince?" Kakarot said as the pair sparred again. When Kakarot punched Vegeta square in the jaw and the monarch did nothing to block the attack, he stopped, powered down and walked over to where Vegeta began to get himself up. "Vegeta? Is everything okay?" Kakarot asked the prince in a concerning tone of voice.  
  
Vegeta seemed to only stare at the floor and mumbled something relevant to 'yes.'  
  
Kakarot stood in front of the prince when Vegeta started to leave. "Tell me why the hell you're so spacey."  
  
Vegeta looked up and met his gaze only to stare back at the ground and pushed his way out of the room.  
  
Kakarot only watched him leave knowing the only other person he could find out his problem from was the last person he talked to. Aria.  
  
xxxxxx  
  
Bulma rubbed the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. Why did her father have to be so damned precautious? Only a genius could have cracked the code; hell, only a genius could create the code.  
  
Yes, Zane was right. Her life was slowly becoming more of a hell than it was before. She had just found the most complex thing ever, agreed to quit assassinating (for Frieza anyway), yet agreed to kill the ruling monarch of Planet Perisia. Not to mention she had also thrown herself into playing the prince's fiancé. Yes, Zane was right.  
  
Bulma picked up her pencil again and began writing on her pad of yellow paper the measurements for a machine. The back of her father's letter stared back at her viciously. Or at least she thought it looked vicious. She was lucky that there was a short knock on her door.  
  
Expecting Prince Vegeta, she opened the door to find his guard, Kakarot.  
  
"Hello . . . uh . . . Kakarot," she said to the man.  
  
"Aria, what did you and Vegeta talk about?" the man asked concerned.  
  
"Oh," she said. "He and I talked about how he's supposed to be married in two weeks."  
  
"Really." Kakarot just seemed to walk off without a good-bye. He was acting strangely.  
  
xxxxxx  
  
*Three hours later  
  
Bulma stared at the red letters on her digital clock. 22:07. How tired she'd become! Bulma sighed and re-capsulated the blueprints. With a yawn, she began unzipping her black leather jacket. She threw it on the bed and started to pull of her thin-strapped top when there was yet another knock at the door.  
  
'Damn Saiya-jins and their not sleeping attitude,' she thought as she walked toward the door. She opened it to find the Saiya-jin prince she had talked to only a few hours earlier.  
  
"I've thought about it," he said immediately.  
  
Bulma yawned graciously. "And?" she asked wrapping her arms around herself.  
  
Vegeta took her chin within one of his hands and captured her lips in a soft kiss. "I think it will work." He smirked before leaving the woman, standing in her doorway with a stunned look on her face.  
  
xxxxxx  
  
"See you in hell," she said with venom in her voice.  
  
She woke up suddenly screaming. Catching her breath, she looked up at the red colored letters of her clock. 02:38. Bulma sighed when she finally realized she was in reality. She was reliving her memories. Again. She was reliving the death of her father. The death of her father by her own hands.  
  
A quiet beeping sounded from the floor where her jacket lay. Covering her nearly-naked body, Bulma picked up the communicator from the floor. Bulma stared at it for a while, trying to remember if she'd left her communicator on Planet Frost. Thinking she hadn't, she put it up to her ear with a yawn. Two voices were exchanging words in a conversation about her.  
  
"She doesn't trust anyone anymore. I told you that." The male voice sounded very familiar.  
  
"Well, why'd you tell her?"  
  
"She needed to know!" one voice yelled.  
  
"Viper's not going to even give us the information now! Thank you for ruining Lord Cooler's plan. I hope you're happy!"  
  
The signal suddenly went dead, leaving Bulma with a feeling of nausea. She slept. 


	10. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine:  
  
"I'm serious! I have found a bride!" Vegeta tried to convince his father while the pair ate breakfast.  
  
"I would like to know who this is before you decide to call of the marriage between yourself and the Perisian."  
  
Vegeta sighed. "Alright. I'll bring her to the throne room in two hours." Vegeta then got up from the table and left the room to find a cheerful Kakarot waiting for him in the hallway.  
  
"You seem back to normal, my prince." Kakarot said walking beside the prince. "But I would still like to know what the hell your problem was."  
  
"I was thinking about something, that's all you need to know." Vegeta answered. The pair began walking down the East Wing to Kakarot's surprise.  
  
"Why are you going this way?"  
  
"Why do you care?" Vegeta asked. Kakarot hated it when the monarch answered his questions with questions.  
  
Kakarot's breath caught in his throat when Vegeta stopped at Bulma's door. "Uh . . . Vegeta, you do realize this is Aria's chambers, right?" Vegeta only nodded. "So why are you going here?"  
  
Vegeta smirked, already knowing what Kakarot's response would be when he told him. "I have to wake up my future fiancé."  
  
Kakarot's jaw flew to the floor. He had certainly missed something. Or Vegeta was simply going crazy.  
  
The door to Bulma's quarters opened to reveal to the two men a half-asleep woman. She appeared to be soaking wet and was only wearing a towel. Her azure hair clung to her shoulders and face, long enough to reach all the way down her back. Kakarot only stared when Bulma smiled at Vegeta.  
  
"Good morning." she said to the prince who smirked in return.  
  
"I, uh, think I'll just go train now," Kakarot said numbly while practically running down the hall.  
  
Bulma frowned. "You didn't tell him much did you."  
  
Vegeta crossed his arms and watched Kakarot leave. "No. Not really." Vegeta turned back to Bulma. "Anyway, if you really want this to work, you should get dressed. In two hours you and I need to convince my father that I am going to marry you."  
  
"Proving it won't be easy. This will be the hardest part next to Kayte hating me."  
  
"Don't worry. Her father will be the one that hates you if anyone. Then again, if you show up in a towel I don't think any man could hate you."  
  
Bulma blushed. "Touché. I think I should get dressed though. This towel is very uncomfortable."  
  
"You could show up in nothing at all." Vegeta said with a sardonic tone.  
  
"As much as you would love that, I'm sorry; I think I'll just wear clothes." Bulma smiled.  
  
Vegeta shook his head in amusement. "If anyone is bold it is you." Vegeta stopped for a few seconds and stared into Bulma's eyes. "Don't wear all your weapons. You've got nothing to fight." Once more, he kissed her gently and was off, down the hall soon after.  
  
The more Bulma thought about it, the more she thought this wouldn't turn out to be just false. The longer she was around the prince, the more she thought she liked him. Either that or he was really good at seduction.  
  
**So, long time no see, eh? Anyway . . . All I want for Christmas is thirty reviews. That's 3-0. ::Stares at the 21 reviews:: Looks like you people like this enough. Too bad that it's coming to an end. Yep, that's right. Only two more chapters and this thing will be over. ::sniffles:: I hate to see it go . . .  
  
Oh yeah, be prepared for an interesting twist in the last two chapters. Some mild OOC-ness is nothing much to worry about, but I hope no one will get too upset. I'm surprised though that some people think I'm keeping Vegeta in-character. Wow.  
  
Please review and I promise to have the next chapter up very soon. Very soon, like . . . tomorrow soon. Yeah.** 


	11. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten:  
  
Bulma decided to leave her hair down. Her wavy blue hair set nicely on her shoulders and covered her back. Before she answered the door, knowing immediately that it was Vegeta, she took all her knives and daggers and put them in a safe place. She kept her loaded gun hidden on her body.  
  
She opened the door to find Vegeta, normal-looking, staring at her. "I'm ready." she said.  
  
"We might actually make it there before we're supposed to." Vegeta said sarcastically.  
  
Bulma scowled. "I don't take that long to get ready."  
  
Vegeta rolled his eyes and took her hand. "Then we should leave." The pair walked down the hallway arm in arm to convince any onlookers. It worked.  
  
When the pair finally reached the throne room, Bulma's eyes lit up with recognition. "I know this place. This was where I . . ." she trailed off remembering the memory.  
  
"Where you were going to kill me?" Vegeta finished for her; Bulma looked at the floor. "Don't worry about it. You wanted to get your job done."  
  
Bulma smiled up at him. "Thanks."  
  
Vegeta opened the door to the throne room. The pair walked in still arm and arm to meet a king who seemed very surprised to see the young woman.  
  
"This is the woman you want to marry?" King Vegeta asked.  
  
"Father, this is the woman I wish to marry. I told you I'd found someone." Vegeta said with a smug look on his face. The king looked very serious.  
  
"You don't even know exactly where she is from. She's a fucking whore from Frieza!"  
  
At that moment Bulma became very angry. She quickly withdrew her gun and pointed it at the king's head. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"  
  
Kakarot, who was also standing in the room, tried to stop her. "Aria! Stop!"  
  
"Shut up, Kakarot!" Bulma yelled before turning her attention back to the king. "You know absolutely nothing about me! Vegeta knows more than all of you! And damn it, I will not be called a whore from Frieza!" Bulma screamed before turning the gun to her own head. Everyone in the room stared in surprise.  
  
"Aria, don't do this." Vegeta said calmly. Bulma allowed Vegeta to take her arm and move her out of the room. xxxxxx  
  
Bulma's eyes filled with tears that spilled over on to her cheeks. She dropped the gun to the floor and wrapped her arm around Vegeta's neck who then became surprised. She laid her head on his shoulder and cried uncontrollably. Vegeta didn't know what to do. When Bulma fell to the floor, taking Vegeta with her, Vegeta wrapped his own arms around her.  
  
"I'm sorry," Bulma's muffled voice said. "I'm so sorry."  
  
"Woman," Vegeta started to say. He was stopped when Bulma lifted her head and made eye contact.  
  
"Vegeta, my real name is Bulma. Bulma Briefs." she said.  
  
Vegeta's eyes grew wide. "The 'Leather Viper'?" He was stunned. "You're no amateur assassin then."  
  
Bulma swallowed hard. "My first mission was to come here and kill your father. I think that was my instinct kicking in."  
  
"Woman, you put the gun on yourself. You had no intentions of killing my father."  
  
Bulma looked at the ground and stood up, followed by Vegeta. "I told you yesterday. I'm tired of being an assassin." Bulma looked up to meet Vegeta's coal black eyes. "I had a dream last night, a repressed memory actually. I killed my own father. I've murdered so many people. And all for nothing."  
  
Vegeta had no words of comfort. "I've killed people, too. All in the name of Frieza. I get nothing out of it. I understand."  
  
"But I shouldn't kill anyone anymore. Not even for Frieza."  
  
Vegeta took her hands in his. "Then don't. Marry me."  
  
Bulma's eyes became as large as saucers. "What?"  
  
"Marry me. For real. No matter what my father says. He wants me to produce an heir. He wants me to take over the throne. I can't do either of these without a wife. Marry me."  
  
Bulma's eyes became wet with tears. "Alright, Vegeta. I will."  
  
Vegeta took her lips in a deep kiss once more. "I will go back in there and explain. You go back to you living quarters."  
  
Bulma nodded her head and smiled. Things seemed to be looking up for the girl.  
  
**I told you there would be some OOC-ness. Yeah, so, um, review?** 


	12. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven:  
  
Vegeta stormed back into the throne room, a deep glare on his face. "Kakarot, leave," he said immediately. "Wait outside."  
  
When Kakarot left the room, Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest and stared at his father, glowering. King Vegeta did likewise, glaring just as intensely. The pair stayed like this for sometime, each being able to read the other like a book. The exchange of words was not needed, but it happened anyway.  
  
"I'm going to marry her. She will produce my heir and be my queen," Vegeta said arrogantly, still posed in typical fashion.  
  
"Over my dead body," the King responded. The cliché was just enough to make the younger monarch growl in anger.  
  
"I can fix that. And you know it, old man."  
  
"You won't do it."  
  
Vegeta growled again. "No. I won't." Vegeta turned and opened the door. "You don't deserve the pleasure." He walked out the door to come face to face with Kakarot.  
  
"Find a ship, Kakarot. We're leaving this hell-hole." Vegeta said to the younger Saiya-jin. Kakarot nodded and ran off in search of a ship; Vegeta headed toward Bulma.  
  
Vegeta walked down the hall with a glare on his face. He had just told off his father and was now about to leave the planet he had grown up on for twenty-five years. Life was taking a drastic turn for the worse.  
  
Soon after Kakarot left to look for a ship, he returned to Vegeta's side, with urgent news. "Vegeta, guess who's come for a visit." Kakarot's face was sullen when he said this, as well as his next quote. "The King of Perisia. And his daughter."  
  
"What?!" Vegeta screamed in anger. "Xerces and Kayte have just landed?"  
  
Kakarot nodded. "I know you probably don't care what I say, but I think you should take Aria with you. Go tell King Xerces that you won't marry his daughter. If worse comes to worse, you could just kill someone."  
  
Vegeta glowered. "If you ever give me any more useful information, you will be the one I kill." He then started walking toward Bulma's chambers again, quickly. "By the way," he said to Kakarot, "her name is Bulma."  
  
"Bulma? As in 'Bulma Briefs,' the 'Viper'?!" Kakarot's eyes grew wide.  
  
"Yeah. Viper."  
  
xxxxxx  
  
Vegeta stood outside Bulma's door, somewhat impatiently. She had yet to answer the knock on her door and he was becoming agitated.  
  
"Vegeta?" Bulma stared at the man when she opened the door. He looked ready to kill someone.  
  
"Guess who's come to pay a visit." Was all he said to force Bulma's eyes to grow wide and she ran out the door.  
  
"If we're going to get married, damn it, we better go tell people." Bulma said, looking straight into Vegeta's eyes.  
  
Vegeta averted his eyes and looked at the ground. "I don't want another scene like before. We shall go in there, tell the Parisian royals to shove their proposal up their ass, and leave."  
  
"Leave?" Bulma asked.  
  
"I'll explain on the way. Just come on."  
  
The pair walked side-by-side down the corridor. Vegeta's face showed anger and concentration; Bulma's showed thought and confusion.  
  
xxxxxx  
  
"Look who has come crawling back, and with his bitch, too." King Vegeta said, earning a glare from Bulma and a smug look from Vegeta.  
  
Vegeta stared at the two Perisian monarchs. "Sorry, Xerces, I'm not marrying your daughter after all. Because I am of legal age, something my father forgot to look over, I can dictate who I do and don't marry. And, sorry, but I'm going to marry this woman." He motioned, and Bulma smiled and nodded a greeting.  
  
Kayte refused to believe it. "What!? How dare you! Some blue-haired bitch is not taking my place!" She glared fiercely at Bulma who only smirked in response. When Kayte was about to attack Bulma, she withdrew her gun that she had picked up from the corridor floor, and pointed it to the Perisian's head. Kayte froze in fear.  
  
Bulma still held a smirk on her face. "You know, I've killed ruling monarchs before. I'm not afraid to kill one more. Plus, I don't like your pink nails."  
  
"Bulma! Don't!" said a voice from the doorway. Kakarot stood there, almost panting. "It's time to go, you two!" he said to Vegeta and Bulma.  
  
Vegeta walked out of the door, and Bulma shrugged and also left. Everyone else in the room stared in disbelief.  
  
Xerces then glared. "Our alliance is canceled, and I'm almost tempted to declare war on the Saiya-jin people."  
  
"Then do so, Xerces," said King Vegeta. "I don't like you or your daughter either." He then let the two Perisians leave the palace and the planet without worrying about them. And he began to think about his son. If Vegeta didn't come back, Vegeta-sei would be put into a state of anarchy, and if war was prevalent, the Saiya-jin people were screwed.  
  
xxxxxx  
  
"So, Kakarot, where are we going anyway?" Bulma said when the three were in the ship.  
  
Kakarot stared at the screen nearest him. "Ee-arth*," he mispronounced. Bulma was sure to correct him though.  
  
"No, Kakarot. Earth!" Bulma said excitedly. "That's my home planet." She suddenly looked confused though. "Problem being that Earth was destroyed when I was seven."  
  
"I think you're mistaken." Kakarot said. "If you look here," he pointed out, "you can plainly see a planet. Earth: Population 1.2 billion. There is a planet there."  
  
Bulma smiled widely. "Home," she said quietly. That was when she noticed Vegeta standing right next to her. She looked up into his coal-black eyes with tears of joy in her own. "Earth will be the perfect place to start a family." She smiled, knowing that she would never have to worry again. Vegeta had melted her cold heart, and she his.  
  
To Be Continued . . . .  
  
*Ee-arth if anyone remembers is from the Bardock special before Goku gets sent there. I thought it was funny, so I put it in there. Is it also funny how I seem to input things from movies.  
  
**Yeah, I hope you realized the To Be Continued after the last paragraph. You know what that means, don't you? Yep. Sequel. It will be called "Breakdown" and will be much better than this story. And it won't go as fast. Promise.  
  
Also, I'm working on another story. I just couldn't help myself with this new one. And congratulations, you readers get to find out first hand what it is . . .  
  
One of my friends told me that originally, Akira Toriyama wanted Gohan to defeat Majin Buu. But the fans wanted Goku. Well, what if Vegeta's sacrificed had not failed? You see where I'm going? It will be called "Alternate Reality" (No points for originality there, eh?) and will be coming as soon as I finish the six page prologue.  
  
Well, that's it for now, I hope you will review this last chapter!!** 


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